Network & Internet Access
About the Wired Network Firewall for Students in Dorms
About Firewalls for Security
A firewall works by preventing remote Internet users from making inbound connections to your computer, while at the same time allowing you to connect to any remote site on the Internet.
Firewalls only add some protection for your computer, however. To maximize your security, you should also keep your antivirus software up-to-date and install your operating system updates whenever they are auto-downloaded.
Network Protection in the Residence Halls
In order to help decrease the number of security incidents on student computers in the residence halls, ITS has installed a network firewall between the wired dorm connections and the Internet.
Note that the wired connection firewall does not protect:
- wired network traffic to and from other residence hall computers; or
- wired network traffic going between residence hall computers and computers located in other University buildings.
The firewall technology that we use works very well and we have found that most computer users are unable to tell if their computer is located behind a firewall or not. The firewall has no effect on wired network (Internet) performance.
Opting Out
You may opt out of your computer being behind a firewall for your residence hall wired Ethernet connection if required. Note, however, that all UVa wireless connections (whether in residence halls or not) are protected by a firewall, and there is no “opt out” for that.
We do understand that a small number of students connecting to the Internet via an Ethernet cable will need to run applications that will not work properly when located behind the firewall. For example, some audio and videoconferencing programs will not work correctly or may be limited in that some of their features will not work. Similarly, you will not be able to host a multi-player computer game that serves off-Grounds’ players from behind the firewall.
We have developed an opt-out solution for these students. If this is you, you may request your computer’s wired connection be moved out from behind the firewall. We strongly encourage all students to leave their computer located behind the firewall if at all possible.
